"Welcome home."
The squeal of excitement lifted Draco's mood as Ginny dropped her bags next to the side of Malfoy Manor's grand double doors. Mouth dropped open, the youngest Weasley turned around in a complete circle, observing the surroundings offered to her. Pearl-toned archways directed her toward the two front rooms immediately on display for guests -- one held a light tone, with soft blues and white furniture that folded around a wide, lace-curtain window. A piano sat in the center of this piece as a lovely prop. Perhaps it was only meant for show, but Ginny knew that the kid inside of her, the one that never received any nice, new gifts due to a large family, would want to play it as soon as she had the chance. The other room's door was closed, but Ginny didn't mind. She ran into the first room she saw and placed her round face into the vase of roses that sat atop of the piano, taking in a huge whiff of the magical flowers.
"The roses are for you, Mrs. Malfoy." Draco could only smile at the excited nature of his new bride. Hanging up his black cloak that shrouded his slender form, he followed Ginny into the day room and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. The grin grew gentler at her giggle of delight -- he had the Manor decorated specifically in this manner so it would please her. Being Lord Malfoy, this request was not too hard to perform.
"You know how to charm a girl, Mr. Malfoy." The ginger returned his soft grin with her own innocent smile, feeling relief wash through her form. She agreed to elope with Draco Malfoy on the grounds that, despite his shady background, he was the only one that managed to woo her successfully with truth and affection. Ginny understood that he was not innocent. Then again, neither was she. After dealing with her numerous affairs in Hogwarts, only to have her heart crushed by the Boy-Who-Thought-He-Was-Too-Important-To-Commit-And-She-Was-Too-Innocent-To-Face-War, Harry Potter, she thought she could never find love again. Draco proved her wrong.
The Weasleys wouldn't have any of it. The chance to prove that she was really Molly Weasley's daughter offered itself; she eloped immediately and became Lady Malfoy at the first chance she got.
"Welcome home indeed, Miss Weasley." The couple's attention was forced from each other and onto the opening of the second room's door. Dark-robed bodies began to walk away from the area, with the exception of the three crowding around the day-room's entrance. Lowering their hoods, three smiling faces greeted them. One of the three, the savage beauty Bellatrix Lestrange, lifted her arms in a slow manner to glide over towards Ginny like a deranged apparition.
"My new and cute niece. Who would have thought Draco had the guts to seduce you, girlie?"
"Bellatrix." Draco's voice grew cold then, his hands reluctantly pulling away from Ginny so his aunt could receive her hug.
"Oh, shush now, boy. I am merely teasing. It’s an honor to have you as a Malfoy, even if you are a meager blood traitor. Since my poor sister is no longer with us…" She ignored the twitch on Draco's face to continue speaking to a frightened looking Ginny with glee. "I will have to fill the role in teaching you how to be a proper witch for pureblood society. I assure you, we have much to learn." Bellatrix's lips found their way on both sides of Ginny's cheek, hovering over the girl's right ear so she could whisper into it. "If I were you, girlie, I'd keep my mouth shut at most times, if not always. You've no idea what you've married into, do you? Poor, poor little Ginevra Weasley…"
"That's quite enough." At Draco's command, Bellatrix eagerly took her place back besides the two other men that were with her.
"Th-thank you." Ginny said, warily. She was no fool. These were Death Eaters -- Voldemort's old followers -- and even though Ginny was too protected during the War to really encounter them personally, it didn't mean she wasn't aware that their presence around meant something bad was happening. This was one of those moments where being sheltered was a bad thing. Her eyes focused on her new husband, seeing his distraught state. "I'm quite sure we will get along."
"Come, Ginny." Draco did not want her in the company of the three for any longer. Viktor Crabbe and Rodolphus Lestrange observed Ginny with hawk-like eyes, while his Aunt Bellatrix simply gawked at her like she was a new toy. Pulling Ginny away from the day room, the eyes of the other robed men caught Draco's with an unspoken acknowledgement being made.
Ginny's attention focused the half-opened door of the second room. More importantly, to what had been inside of it. It didn't take a genius to conclude that the pale limb on the floor and the red substance that covered said limb indicated a dead body.
"You lied to me."
"Ginny, put down the wand. You're being ridiculous." Draco's fingers tightened around the bridge of his noise, his other hand holding onto his wand. He didn't need his bride to be this reckless, yet here she was. Her body cowered in the corner as though Draco were mere moments away from attacking her.
"You said that the Death Eaters were no more. You TOLD me that You-Know-Who was dead. You said the War was no more!" Ginny was furious, her hand steady on her wand as it trained onto the chest of her husband. Why did everyone lie to her? Did they think she couldn't handle the truth? He was supposed to be the exception to that rule.
"The War is no more, Ginny. It doesn't mean the old habits have died, however. Even though the War is over, we have many enemies still. What you saw earlier was us taking care of one, nothing more or less."
"We? Are you one of them?" At his hesitation, Ginny felt panic well in her chest. "Answer me, Draco Malfoy! Are you one of them?"
"They're the only family I have left." His voice was firm, his eyes set on her trembling form in a hardened gaze. The soft silk of silver that he usually gave her now turned into cold steel. "I am Lord of this Manor, and I will provide it to the people who have protected me during that mayhem, years ago. It is what Father and Mother would've expected of me."
"They protected you? Draco, that family of yours killed innocent people! They're monsters!" Ginny witnessed the many people who suffered at the hands of the Death Eaters. Even if they were no longer Death Eaters now, that didn't mean they were exactly angels. She burned with fury when a cold laugh greeted her accusation, her cinnamon gaze watering now. Why did her husband believe this was funny? "The Order never --"
"You believe the Order was innocent? They killed innocent people too, Ginny -- people who they believed were associated with the Dark Lord, hazardous to their cause regardless of any true proof of their allegations. That's the funny thing about War -- no one is innocent in the end. Your sinless Order would've killed me too, did you know that? I didn't even have to be a Death Eater. Your Order would've slaughtered anyone that they felt threatened by." As Draco spoke, he walked steadily towards his new wife. She was sheltered through the War, this much Draco remembered. None of her family allowed for Ginny to do anything but merely hide, so she knew of no actual truths of what transpired and changed the Wizarding World forever. He was glad to enlighten her of the reality of the situation, nevertheless.
"No…" Pressed into her corner of the wall, Ginny flinched when Draco's hand slapped the wand away. She closed her eyes as he grasped onto her chin.
"Even now, we are not accepted by society. We will never be anything more than the monsters who threatened their safety. The Wizarding world will continue to fight against us; our way of life will always be frowned upon. Those monsters protected me as a child, Ginny, and I will return the favor. We will return the favor, Mrs. Malfoy. Understand?" Draco's lips brushed against Ginny's own then, to remind her that she was his wife. She had agreed to love him through thick and thin, and she would not have the option to back off now.
"I won't. I won't have anything to do with this!" Nearly melting into his kiss, Ginny shoved back at Draco suddenly with a terrified expression. He wasn't going to kiss her into changing her mind, not this time. "I love you, not your way of life. I may be Lady of this Manor, but I won't support anything done in it. You're on your own. You lied to me."
"You are only going to make it harder on yourself, Ginny. I will do what is required of me, no matter how you feel. Now come to bed." The demand made, Draco slid into the soft sheets of their shared wedding bed. His eyes remained focus, a small ping of hurt in his heart as he saw his frightened bride slide along the wall of the bedroom, tears running down her cheeks. Had she really not understood a thing?
"I'm sorry, please forgive me…"
"Think of it like this, Ginny. We take care of home, they take care of us." Several house-elves refilled the tea cups of the Pureblood witches presented at the luncheon at Lestrange Manor. Ginny's gaze remained in her cup as she listened to the words of Pansy Nott nee Parkinson, one of the many witches that were guests for the party. She hadn't bothered to make much conversation with the young woman, yet Pansy's attention since Ginny's first scheduled arrival at the house of the Lestrange could not be deterred after seeing her weary state.
"It cannot be that simple. I barely sleep knowing what is done down those stairs, in that damned room." A few months passed since Ginny arrived at the Manor as Lady Malfoy, and she still dreamed of the screams she caught while wandering past that room. They never bothered to place a Silencing Charm during their work.
"If they don't take care of their enemies, Ginny, imagine what could happen to us. Theodore usually sends me to a spa when things like that are about to happen. It does wonders for the body, as well as helps you take your mind off of it. Why don't we request that Draco does the same for you?" It was odd that Pansy found herself wanting to help Ginny. The Parkinson turned Nott was raised around these types of families all of her life, yet she understood how difficult it was for one to see violence when they had been sheltered away from most of it. Though her parents were highly involved with Voldemort and his plans, like Draco's own parents, she was fortunate enough to avoid all of the evil. Seeing it for the first time was shocking for anyone.
"I thought that the War was over, Pansy." Ginny couldn't finish her tea. The pat of Pansy's hand on her shoulder led her into an emotional state that she couldn't crawl out of. Tears stuck to her mascara-covered eyelashes, and the other woman's shushing and understanding didn't do anything to make Ginny feel better. Never in a million years did she suspect that Pansy Parkinson would be her source of comfort.
"War leaves scars that never heal, dear. You'll come to understand that Draco does this to make sure you are safe. You'll appreciate it one day. Until then, do what you must to help make the knowledge easier on your soul. Just because Draco must do deeds we deem evil, it doesn't make you evil. He needs you for comfort, too, I believe." Pansy smiled towards Ginny, dabbing at the tears with a free handkerchief so she wouldn't ruin her makeup.
"Thank you, Pansy. Perhaps you’re right."
"Today, we shall discuss the upcoming patterns for Millicent Zabini's lovely baby shower." Bellatrix's voice broke through the private discussions of the witches, her eyes hard-set on the crying Ginny Malfoy. A knowing smile crossed her face.
"You look beautiful." Draco's warm lips found the nape of Ginny's neck, kissing underneath the soft, ginger curls that bounced around her round face. He'd place a comforting hand on her back as they entered the Zabini's Estate, the mansion looming over in a beautiful cascade of velvet black colors. The Malfoys' coats were taken eagerly by the house-elves, and they were guided to a large dining room that held a large amount of presents, clearly made for the first child of Millicent and Blaise Zabini.
"Draco, will this happen every time someone has a child?" Ginny asked in wonder, turning her curious eyes to the handsome form of her husband. A peach-toned dress softly clung to her body, flowing out into light sashes of cream towards the bottom. The gown was sleeveless; she wore matching gloves that ran up to her elbows. Her hand tightened around Draco's arm. She saw his amused smirk cross his face.
"Millicent and Blaise are the first in our generation to become pregnant. It’s the sign of a good future for what we believe in -- blood purity. You'll come to see that each child is important and must be protected. There is no issue with celebrating something special." Draco spoke lowly to his wife as they were joined by other couples. Theodore and Pansy Nott found the two and greeted them with smiles.
"Ginny, come to the gardens with me. Millicent should be there; we will give her good wishes for her and her son." Pansy was a dream in her dark emerald dress. Bringing her nude arm to wrap around Ginny's gloved one, she led her away from the men. "So? Have things become easier for you? The suggestion of the Silencing Charms? The spa?
"He seems to understand how hard it is for me to adjust to the activity, at the very least. The Silencing Charms were a wonderful idea, Pansy, but he doesn't think that I should leave the Manor quite yet without him. He won't tell me why, but I can tell that something bad is about to happen." Ginny said to the older woman. As they made it past the French-doors leading to the gardens and gazebos, she felt a chill run through her spine. It was dark, the only lights coming from the gazebos on the other side of the open field of flowers and vegetation. Stone paths led up towards the cluster of three people chatting idly with each other a distance away, the closest anyone was to Ginny and Pansy.
"With a child along the way, tensions are indeed rising. All sorts of terrible rumors about Blaise and Millicent's son spread daily amongst those that hate us. At least, that's all I could get from Theodore --"
"Expelliarmus!" Ginny's wand hand shot out in an instant, her wand hidden underneath her peach-colored dress being exposed to the figure that moved through the darkness behind Pansy. At her cry, the people within the gazebos' attention snapped upwards. In the darkness, figures began to move and fire curses everywhere towards the well-dressed attendants.
Ginny's arm shot out for Pansy's body as the figure behind her grasped at the woman's hair. Before she could get a good grasp on the struggling witch, a body pressed into her own from behind, gripping at her wand arm. Twisting it behind her back, Ginny's cry of pain escaped from her lips as she was roughly pulled backwards from Pansy and clasped onto with a stronger arm. She shoved backwards, trying to utilize her entire weight in order to knock the figure over from behind, but to no avail.
"Ginny, Ginny calm down! It’s me! It’s your brother, Ron!" The familiar, demanding tone of her elder brother didn't do much to calm Ginny, however. Ron was taller and heavier than she was. He held onto his little sister with disbelief clear on his face. The Weasleys hadn't heard from Ginny since she ran away from home; however he had highly doubted that she ran just to become the wife of the sniveling git, Draco Malfoy. The proof was here though, and it was clear with the anger in Ron's eyes that he wasn't taking it well. "I'm going to take you home right now! Do you know how livid everyone will know that you're in a nest with recovering Death Eaters? Harry has been so worried about you too!"
At Harry's name, Ginny's struggle turned fierce. Her eyes blazed with emotion as she stared into Ron's quickly reddened face. "Don't you ever say that name to me again! Let me go; what are you doing, Ron?! They're not Death Eaters; they're normal people of society! What are all of you doing?! This is a baby shower, not a nest! Let go of me!"
"Baby shower, my arse! You're still clueless as ever, I see. Come on, Ginny, we don't have much time!" Ron tugged onto his sister until he could bear hug her and lift her off of the ground. Turning, he headed for the Manor, which was now swarmed with Aurors and the party attendants. Curses and hexes flew everywhere, furniture and statues exploding at impact of most of the magic within the makeshift battlefield. "We were tipped at the Ministry that another uprising of the Death Eaters was a possibility. When we were informed that you were seen at several meetings, and it became clear to us that they were up to no good again. Harry has the proof he needs that you were kidnapped, and I'm sure that you have seen more than enough to give clearance. Tonight is the night we were going to get rid of them -- all of them."
Ginny hardly listened as she met eyes with the pregnant Millicent, cornered and huddled over a fallen figure while sobbing her eyes out. A twist to avoid a curse made by Ron revealed the figure's body -- Blaise Zabini fallen over with a pool of blood leaving his body. A couple of Aurors trained their wand on the witch, who appeared as harmless as any other woman. Ginny's eyes widened in horror as she saw the realization and the accusation form in Millicent's eyes. Her heart broke when the word "traitor" was formed in her direction.
"This is madness! Let me go, Ron! This isn't an uprising! The meetings were talks about tonight's baby shower! The Ministry just wants a massacre! Stop!" Ginny knew it all then. The scars that the War left behind didn't apply to just the Ministry and what they were attempting to rebuild. The ex-Death Eaters were constantly forced to pay for their choices in the past. They were forced to defend themselves in situations like this where everyone named them monsters. If they didn't, then massacres like this would happen consistently.
"Ginny, stop moving! We're almost ou- AUGH!" Ron's body fell over suddenly with the heavy effect of being stunned.
Ginny toppled over onto the ground as well, feeling the rapid beating of both her brother's heart and her own laced with fear. She felt hands pull at her body then, lifting her into a stand from underneath the older Weasley. Hair covering her vision, she tossed her head back and lifted her wand toward the face of her captor. Instead of another Auror, she met the stormy eyes of her husband, Draco. "Draco, I swear I had nothing to do with this --"
But before he answered, he had Disapparated with her from the Zabini Estate.
"I want answers."
"It couldn't be the Weasley girl. Draco has kept her within the Manor since she first arrived. When did you see her outside of any of our watch?"
"Someone needs to answer for the death of my husband. I don't care who! This oaf won't speak!"
"Regular methods of torture don’t produce a profound effect on Aurors. Maybe we should try another method."
"Oh, don't worry. We've already found the traitor. Vincent Crabbe, if you can believe it. That dim-witted little -- "
"Draco, you can't make me go through with this." Ginny stood at the door of the second room within the front alcove of the Malfoy Manor. Pressed into the side of her husband, puffy eyes stared towards Draco with desperation laced through them as she listened to the voices inside of the room. She spent the majority of the night scrutinized and questioned by nearly every member of the family that had reason to think she would willingly turn them all over to the Ministry. Ginny did not know how to deal with the knowledge that they not only distrusted her, but blamed her for the death of Father-To-Be Blaise Zabini. Millicent's hysterical voice inside the second room ate at the guilt Ginny felt for the supposedly good side performing this atrocious act. Blaise died to protect Millicent from one of the curses the Aurors tried to fire at her stomach out of malice. His death was only one of many that occurred at the baby shower.
"You must, Ginny. If tonight has not shown you why it is that we protect ourselves using this method then I have no choice." Draco's mouth was tight as he grasped onto Ginny's arm and led her through the second door.
The first thing Ginny observed was that it looked like an ordinary conference room. A long table stretched within the wide space of the room, surrounded by royal chairs of silver and black. On the other side of the wall, a fire crackled within the fireplace. Long, dark curtains adorned the high windows along the wall. In between each window was a portrait of a large gathering of people with a name of a Pureblooded family underneath. The room itself was not as intimidating as the people within it, bedecked in black robes and gathered around the fireplace. As the door opened, they turned to face the Malfoys, parting the way to reveal a levitating figure suspended in front of the fire. His features were black and blue, covered in bruises, and yet Ginny could tell from the red of his hair and the build of his body that it was her brother.
"It’s because of you, you filthy blood traitor!" Millicent's shrieks broke the silence that fell over the crowd. A couple of the people wrapped their arms supportively around the young witch, but it didn't keep her from clasping onto her round stomach and glaring at Ginny hatefully. "I know this is her fault! My husband is dead because of you. My child won't have a father now!"
"Millicent, that's enough." Draco walked with Ginny over to the levitated Ron Weasley, pointing his wand at the bruised face of the other wizard. "Ennervate."
Ron came to attention immediately with a groan, his swollen eyes opening somewhat to face a disturbed Ginny staring back into his eyes. "Ginny!" The plan was working -- seeing his sister caused him to speak of the reason behind the attack. "Ginny, you must understand. These are horrible people! How could you even --"
"The only horrible people I saw tonight were you and the others, Ron." Ginny's voice was a mere whisper. Millicent's words echoed through her head, but she was justified. Ginny knew that if she were in the other witch's shoes, she couldn't help but feel the same way. "Why? Why did you and the other Aurors attack us? It was only a baby shower…”
"We have reason to believe you were kidnapped, Ginny. These Death Eaters have been killing our members left and right! When Crabbe confirmed that he's seen you here, we knew we had to get you out! They're re-assembling, Ginny. They're going to come back, even if they don't have Voldemort. We have to get rid of them before they start another War." Ron's eyes searched his sister's, which appeared cold. "They've changed you…"
"No, Ron." Ginny felt her bottom lip tremble at Ron's confession. It was her fault that they had attacked the Zabini Estate. They had suspected them of Death Eater activity, and Ginny's elopement with Draco only gave them the so-called confirmation to attack in retaliation. "I was not kidnapped. I love Draco, and I married him without telling anyone because none of you would understand how I felt. Instead of trying to contact me --"
"You attack my family," Draco said, a smirk on his face. Now his wife understood. "You use the past as reason to believe that we're up to no good, so you won't stop attempting to get rid of us, as you so passionately stated. It’s Aurors like you, Weasley, that keep our scars open. You're not willing to let go of the past, so we're forced to live it as well." His wand came back towards Ron's face then, and the Weasley looked in between the faces of the Malfoys.
"Ginny, you won't let him kill me, will you? They've changed you -- poisoned your mind! They're evil, and we're trying to save you and the world from them." Ron's voice was panicked, and Ginny could only stare at her brother as though he had become a stranger to her. "Even if you kill me, that won't stop Harry and the other Aurors from trying to get you out, Ginny. We won't ever stop until every last Death Eater scum is dead --"
"Adava Kedavra." The green light shot from Draco's wand snapped Ginny out of her reverie.
Taking a careful step back from the now deceased Ron Weasley, Ginny placed her hands around her mouth for a second, a panicked gasp escaping her lips. All of the eyes within the room were on her now, gauging her reaction to what happened. Her mind raced with the thoughts dancing within, what was right and what was wrong. Raised in a home to believe these savages were the evil-doers, it conflicted with the actions of tonight's carnage. Tonight, much to Ginny's horror, she saw things from the ex-Death Eater's perspective, and all of Draco, Pansy, and Bellatrix's words finally hit home. Clarity flooded Ginny's thoughts at the end of her panic, a sheer calm washing softly over the redhead's body.
"This isn't the last time that they will do this, dear Ginevra." Bellatrix's voice rung out through the silence, always laced with a hint of amusement. "You heard your own darling, murderous brother. 'We won't ever stop until every last Death Eater scum is dead.' Pretty lovely last words, I should say. Understand what you've married into now?" A cackle came afterwards, and the other members within the room moved to comfort Millicent and release Ron's body from its levitated state.
"Ginny." Draco started, but the young witch had already turned to leave the second room. Her expression was unreadable as he caught up with her. "Our past will forever haunt us as long as intolerant members of the Ministry continue to haunt our way of life. I'm sorry that you didn't know that this was happening, but this is the reality of the situation. For what it’s worth, Millicent knows that you had nothing to do with the death of her husband."
"I understand." Ginny's gaze turned to smile at her husband. For the first time in her life, Ginny no longer felt sheltered or lied to. At the end of the day, these monsters gave her more truth than anyone she'd ever known. "Do what you must."
Author notes: Thank you for reading! This is a one-shot fic, and the theme that I was challenged to write about was "Understanding." Review if you like it/hate it/whatever you feel. See if you can point out some of the ways I've hit the theme, if I hit it at all!
The End.
Rinney is the author of 2 other stories.
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